Interview Tips
Preparing for your big interview is as easy as 1,2,3…, here are some helpful tips that will set your mind at ease and help you land that job.
We have several key steps you should use to land that job and remember be and sell yourself is your most important priority.

Important steps before you interview:
Dress for the new position, this doesn’t mean wearing a business suit or your best dress.
1.  Check out how employees of the company are dressed or check their dress code policy on their web page.  Most of all look Sharp.  
2.  Don’t over do it with heavy make-up, cologne, perfume or jewelry.
3.  Oh, if you have any tattoos that most might consider vulgar or have words you wouldn’t use in front of your mother….cover them up.

Create a list of your accomplishments
1.  Put together your elevator speech (infomercial autobiography).
2.  Achievements you have had in school, other jobs, or extra curricular activates such as volunteer work relate nicely to transferable job skills and the position you are interviewing for.

Here are some tips on completing your JobSourceOne MySource profile:
Work History – Keep it to your most recent jobs; don’t go back more than 2-3 employers plus your current employer.

Salary Requirements – You have several selections to choose from including an hourly rate or hourly plus tips.  Be exact if you know what you want, if not select as many options you are willing to be compensated for.  A tip to consider when selecting your salary requirement, commission pay is typically for sales positions and hourly + tips are for waitress or waiter positions.  Many times the position you apply for will specify its pay type. 

Personalized Uploads – You have three choices, these are all optional tools:
1. Formal Resume – This is used for more professional positions and requires you to have a more professional resume.  Some advise, you are not expected to have a formal resume until you have more years of work experience or significant college credentials. 
2. Video Presentation – If you choose this tool keep your video introduction to less than 30 seconds.  Commonly known as your “elevator speech” this 30 second spot is a commercial about you and your abilities to be a great employee.  Include your name and your work experience or school accomplishments.  Make sure you come across in your video as confident and energetic. 
3. Image – A photo of yourself, make sure it is professional, one you would use in a school yearbook.  Warning, if it is not professional you limit your possibilities of landing the job you want.

Objective – A short and sweet description of what you are looking for in a job.  An example could be; “I am looking for a part-time position to work around my class schedule”.  Another example would be; “Gaining experience in a field that I am interested in making a long term career”.

Skills – This section would represent your ability to provide an expertise.  Common skills that employers are looking for are good customer service skills, just about every job on the planet involves working with people.  Other skills could be Microsoft Office such as excel or word programs, computer programming, degrees, certificates, or licenses that would make you stand out.  

Prepared by:  Michael Maxwell

Be confident remember you landed that job because your employer felt you had the right stuff.

Before you start your first day of work you should find out as much you can about your company and its organizational structure.  The most important thing, get to work on time!  Demonstrate that you are highly-motivated and eager to learn your new job. 

Knowledge is power so understand the laws that drive today’s work force.  The Equal Pay Act signed June 10, 1963 by President John F. Kennedy helped established the foundation for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  

You thought sharing a room with your brother or sister was a challenge – now try it with a complete stranger!  Dorm living defines the early years of the college experience.  Compacting all life’s necessities into a small room while sharing the close quarters with a roommate you’ve most likely never met can be quite the test but can also make for lasting memories.  Here’s a quick checklist to make dorm-living a great part of your college experience:

1. Contact your roommate before you move in to arrange who will bring each necessary item.  There’s nothing quite like a small dorm room packed with two fridges, two microwaves, two TVs and two phones. 

2. Be flexible when you move into your new room.  You might need to negotiate who gets what side of the room or maybe the bigger closet, etc.  Be creative with your room layout because you’ll probably have the option of lofting or bunking your beds, rearranging furniture and experimenting with decorations.  Posters and mini-lights are a great way to change the feel of a room without having to invest too much money or time.

3. Always be ready for a few surprises.  Chances are your roommate will come from a different background and will have different cleanliness habits, taste in music or even ways of dealing with stress.

4. Be respectful and expect the same from your roommate.  Colliding schedules for studying, waking and sleeping are a regular occurrence.  Keep communication open with your roommate and you shouldn’t have any problems.

5. Know and follow your dorm’s rules and regulations.  Universities outline what they expect from their on-campus residents.  Failure to follow their rules or meet their guidelines can often result in disciplinary action or potentially get you removed from your university.

6. Get involved in dorm activities.  Student life organizations offer inexpensive or free weekly activities to keep students busy when they’re not in class.  Your dorm might host a game or movie night, team sports or even off-campus excursions that you can participate in for free.  Dorm activities are a great way to become acquainted with your neighbors and your residential community.

7. Live healthy in your dorm.  With all of the activities and shared facilities within your dorm, germs can spread quickly between students.  Take the proper precautions by getting your flu shot in the early fall, utilizing shower shoes in shared bathrooms, practicing good hand-washing habits and maybe even taking a daily multi-vitamin to boost your immune system.  Also, in the chance that you do come down with a cold, visits to your campus’ health clinic are often inexpensive, even if you don’t have health insurance under your parents’ policy.

8. Did you like student council in high school?  Most dorms have a hall council that comes together to discuss dorm activities, campus projects and hall policies.  Hall council is just another way you can get involved and meet people around you while gaining inside knowledge to how your university operates.

9. When things get crazy, chill out!  Your dorm room can be a great retreat to get away from your busy college schedule.  Put down your textbook and throw on a pair of headphones to escape.  A mini, five-minute “vacation” away from your responsibilities will leave you refreshed and ready to conquer the world!

Prepared by:  Erika Delemarre 

The transition from high school to college can often be a daunting task for students.  It usually means moving out of your parents’ house to an apartment or dorm room, and sometimes even into a new city.  Tackling that on top of a new school and new classes while surrounded by unfamiliar faces can be quite overwhelming.  Something what students forget to prepare themselves for is the change of routine and lack of parental supervision when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise:
Avoid the urge to drive to class and only take a bus if you have a long distance to go without enough time to cover the distance on foot.  Instead walk, bike or skateboard between classes. Students should also take advantage of free memberships to their university’s recreation center or discounted memberships at local gyms. You can also get involved in extracurricular activities like sports or community service clubs that will keep you active and moving in the afternoons and on the weekends.  Not only will it help keep you fit, but you’ll also have the opportunity to make some great friends and get to know your community in the process.

Food:
Don’t buy into you college’s meal plan where you may be required to use a certain amount of “meals” per week.  This may put pressure on you to purchase and eat food you don’t necessarily need just for the sake of not wasting the meals allotted on your plan.  Instead, use your student ID to get discounts at local markets and grocery stores.  Not only will this allow you to save money, but you can eat what you want, when you want while keeping the options healthy.  The addition of a daily multi-vitamin will help keep your immune system in tip-top shape through the stress of classes, studying and part time work.  Also, be weary of falling into habits of ordering greasy, unhealthy pizza and take-out to your dorm room or apartment.  It’s also important to remember that alcoholic beverages also contain a lot of calories that stack up pretty quickly during the college experience.

Stay Balanced:
Going to college is all about getting a great education, right?  Classes, study groups, labs and tests will keep you more than busy, but it’s important to take time out for yourself occasionally.  Whether it’s half an hour to read something that’s not a textbook or class notes, or maybe an hour to go to a yoga class with a friend, treat your relaxation time as a priority. 

Finding harmony between your class work, social life and “you time” will allow you to get the most out of your college experience by keeping you mentally and physically balanced while allowing you to set the groundwork for a stellar future.

Prepared by: Erika Delemarre

Here’s a list of inexpensive things you can do in your community to keep you busy while you’re on a budget.

- Get moving!  Getting involved with local teams or leagues is a great way to meet new people and stay in shape with minimal fees.  Try out ultimate Frisbee, bowling, basketball, volleyball and other sports.  If you want to avoid the long-term commitment of being on a team, gather your friends for a long-boarding or skateboarding session or maybe a late-night game of Capture The Flag.

-Check your local paper for upcoming events like free music or art festivals that may be going on near by.  Festivals offer a great way to kill time while being exposed to different facets of your community.

-Take a stroll through your local marketplace or down your main street.  You would be surprised how inexpensive and fun a night out on the city main streets can be.  Generally there will be street musicians and artists, as well as small restaurants and unique clothing boutiques to check out.

-Check out your local museums.  More often than not, admission will be free or inexpensive for students.  Become well versed on your community’s history or maybe a national artist who has a show featured in your city.  Most museums change their exhibits regularly, so make sure to check back every couple of months for the opportunity to learn something new.

-Get a free membership at your local library.  You will have access to an unlimited amount of books and the ability to rent CDs and DVDs at a low cost.  This is a great way to check out material you wouldn’t usually spend money to purchase.

-Get your fash-on!  Thrift store shopping is the best when you’re on a student budget.  Not only will you find really great vintage T-shirts and nice worn-in jeans, but you can also pick up inexpensive household items.  A lot of thrift stores also donate some or all of their proceeds to non-profit organizations like shelters or programs for the needy, so you can rest assured your money is going to the right place.

-Get a discounted gym membership or check out your school’s recreation center.  Physical activity is a great way to pass the time.  Commit to a work out schedule and stick to it.  This will keep you more focused and less bored while improving your health.

Prepared by: Erika Delemarre and Harper Lines

You have all the necessary skills, you have all the necessary education, and you have sent your resume to hundreds of employers—and still no calls.  You may be a little frustrated at this point, wondering what is up.  Well, it may be your resume.  Here are some ideas and tips to make sure you have all the necessary information and help get you that interview!

1. Appearance
Employers sometimes receive multiple resumes a day and rarely ever have time to read them all.  They may only look at the first few bullet points, or they may glance at the entire page.  To be sure your resume is not one quickly tossed in the No pile, make sure of a few things: Write a short cover letter explaining why you would be good fit in the position.  Make sure your resume is not cluttered by including only the necessary information pertaining to the position you are applying for and assure there is enough negative space not to intimidate the employer. Your resume should be clean and equipped with proper fonts because your future employer could be too distracted by colors and weird fonts that they won’t be able to focus on the content.  The use of professional resume paper will also add to your look—the stronger your resume paper is, the greater chance it won’t be ruined during its travels.

2. Information
Try to simplify your resume by essential information.  This would include: your skills, the last 2 or 3 positions of employment, education, and possibly some extracurricular activities you may have been involved in (including rewards and accomplishments).

Skills – Make sure to highlight those that are relevant to the position you are applying for.  Also, if a position is posted, try to include those skills in this part—only if you have them!  DO NOT LIE.  If the position you are applying for is looking for someone that is proficient in Microsoft Excel, and you have only used the program once or twice, do not include it as a skill, or simply put: “Experience with Microsoft Excel".  This way you can elaborate during your interview and your future employer will not be handing you work to do in the program and expect you to finish without help.

Employment – It is not necessary to include every job you have had, only the last couple will be fine.  Also, highlight your responsibilities within each position, along with the title of your position, your employer, and the dates you were employed there (months and years).

Education – Again, considering the position you are applying for, you may or may not need to include your high school or general education degree; however, defiantly include your highest degree of education – whether it be a high school diploma or an associates, bachelors or masters degree.

Extracurricular – This is not always necessary, however, it does look good to an employer.  Be sure to include here, if applicable, any volunteer work, outside activities, or rewards you may have received.  Whatever it may be, it shows the employer a little more about you and your personality (your interests, your ability to work with others, your success in accomplishing goals, etc.).

3. Grab Their Attention!
As mentioned before, employers receive many resumes a day, most of which appear to be the same, especially if they are formatted using a popular program like Microsoft Word.  Finding a unique way to format and present your resume will assure it at least gets read.  This could be done perhaps, by including an exciting cover letter or by Fed-Exing your resume to the employer once a week until you receive a call (this lets them know you are persistent and the company is worth the time and wait).  Sending a resume as just a plain piece of paper is more likely to end up with all the other un-exciting resumes.  Any sort of packaging that catches the employers attention is important to getting your resume read and obtaining an interview!

Prepared by:  Ani Larson